Combination paint bucket and apron



July 19, 1960 J. J. WITTMANN, SR

COMBINATION PAINT BUCKET AND APRON Filed Nov. 29, 1957 N INVENTOR. JOSEPH J .W|TTMANN,SE.

COMBINATION PAINT BUCKET AND APRON Joseph J. Wittmann, Sr., 638 St. Louis Ave.,

Pass Christian, Miss.

Filed Nov. 29, 1957, Ser. No. 699,621

2 Claims. (Cl. 224) This invention relates to a combination painting apron and paint bucket, so designed as to elimiante the usual inconveniences which result when one must move a paint bucket from place to place during the pain-ting of a house, room, etc.

Normally, a paint bucket is completely separate from the painting apron or coverall which one wears to provide protection during the painting. Therefore, as the painting progresses, one must move the bucket from place to place, and often the bucket is accidentally tipped over or dropped. Then again, during the painting, one must continually be dipping the paint brush into the bucket, and this is inconvenient should one have moved away from the bucket even a few feet.

The main object of the present invention is to remove the diificulties which have heretofore persisted, and the annoyances noted above, through the provision of a combination paint bucket and apron so designed that the bucket will be an integral part of the apron, or alternatively will be swiftly connectable to or disconnectable from the apron itself. Thus, the bucket is always disposed in a position where it will be conveniently located for dipping a paint brush therein, and further, each time the individual moves, the bucket is of course automatically moved with him, without possibility of bein accidentally dropped or tipped over.

Another object is to provide a combination article of the character stated that Will be comparatively inexpensive considering the benefits to be obtained from the use thereof.

Still another object is to so form the paint bucket that the possibility of splashing of paint therefrom will be reduced to a minimum, while at the same time there will be provided a flange along which the brush can be drawn to remove excess paint after the brush has been dipped into the bucket.

A further object is to provide a combination apron and paint bucket which will be designed for permitting the paint to be deposited either directly in the bucket, or alternatively, in a disposable container that can be readily supported in the bucket that is attached to the apron. In this way, the apron-attached bucket or receptacle will not become coated with paint, and one may utilize an exceedingly inexpensive, throw-away container that will be designed to fit snugy into the bucket.

A further object is to provide a combination article as stated so designed that adjustment of the position of the bucket in a vertical direction will be effected either by movement of the connection of the bucket to the apron, or by adjustment of neck-encircling apron straps, or by a combination of both of these adjustments.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claims appended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a combination apron and paint bucket according to the present invention; 1 H

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view substantially on line 22 of Figure 1; v

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view on line 33 of Figure 1; p

Figure 4 is a fragmentary rear elevational view of the device; 7 i I Figure 5 is a rear elevational view of the bucket per se;

Figure 6 is an enlarged longitudinal section on line 66 of Figure 1; and i Figure 7 is a fragmentary, longitudinal sectional vie of a modified construction. v

Referring to the drawing in detail, a Wide, vertically elongated apron member 10 of flexible mater-ialsuch as canvas, flexible plastic, etc., has a rectangular lower portion and an upwardly tapering upper end portion to the back of which parallel lower end portions 12 of a neck strap are secured, by stitching 14. Passing through the portions 12 andthrough the body of the apron are grommets 16 (see Figure 6), there being a longitudinally and centrally extending row of the grommets 16 on each portion 12, with the grommets of said row being uniformly spaced along the length of said portion 12.

The neck strap 18 is sectionally constituted, with' the neck-encircling portion thereof being provided with buckles 20 at its opposite ends engageable with tongues on the strap portions 12. Therefore, the apron body can be adjusted vertically, by means of the buckles 20. As will presently appear, this has the eifect of providing a vertical adjustment of a paint bucket to be described hereinafter. v

A transverse strap 22 is adapted to extend about the waist of the wearer, to hold the apron body firmly against the Wearers body. Strap 22 is stitched to the body of the apron by means of stitching 23, and is provided with a buckle 24, to permit the strap to be adjustably tightened about the waist.

A bucket 26 is progressively reduced in width in a direction toward its lower end, and can be formed of a heavy flexible material, such as a heavy flexible plastic. Bucket 26 has a bottom that is inclined in a direction toward the back wall of the bucket so that paint poured into the bucket will flow to the back wall, thereby to make maximum utilization of the paint. The front wall of the bucket is inclined forwardly upwardly from the bottom wall 26, and at the upper end of the bucket there is provided a downwardly inwardly inclined lip 28 extending along the sides and front of the bucket.

The bucket can be formed of a thin sheet metal if desired, or from a hard plastic. In any event, the bucket is provided with transverselyspaced, downwardly opening hooks 30 fixedly secured to the back wall thereof and engageable removably in selected, corresponding grommets 16 of the respective rows of grommets.

It will be apparent that in this way, when one is painting, he can dip the brush directly into the bucket which is carried directly on the apron itself, and can wipe excess paint from the brush on the lip 28. Or, a container of paint, not shown, can be removably positioned in the bucket, and can be discarded after being exhausted of its contents. In this way, the bucket itself will be kept completely free of paint and in addition, different colors of paint can be swiftly interchanged without requiring changing of the bucket itself.

In Figure 7 there is shown a modified construction wherein the bucket 26a is integral with the body 10a of the apron. The bucket has a lip 28a and otherwise is of the same shape as the bucket 26. This form of the invention can be of molded plastic, which though flexible, has sufiicient body to retain its shape. For ex- Patented July 19, 1960 3 ample, a polyethylene, or other plastics having the same properties, can be employed for the apron and bucket.

It will be observed that the vertical adjustment of the bucket is efiected either by means of positioning the hook 30 in a selected grommet 16, or alternatively, by adjustment of the neck strap. Then again, both of these adjustments could be made, so that the net result is that there will be a wide range of adjustments possible as to the particular location of the bucket upon the body of the wearer.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles of operation and the means presently devised to carry out said principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An article of the class described comprising a vertically elongated, wide body formed of flexible sheet material; a neck strap having parallel vertically extending end portions secured to the body in face-to-face contact therewith over the full length of said end portions, from the upper end of the body to a location spaced downwardly a substantial distance from said upper end of the body, the neck strap having an intermediate portion connecting the end portions and disposed beyond the upper end of the body; rows of grommets on the respective end portions extending longitudinally and centrally of said end portions, the grommets of each row extending through both the body and their associated end portions, each grommet having end flanges between which the body and associated end portion are clampably engaged; a bucket overlying said body and projecting forwardly therefrom, said bucket extending transversely of the body between the end portions and having hooks adjacent its sides projecting rearwardly from the bucket and opening downwardly so as to be engageable in selected grommets of the respective rows; and a waist-encircling strap secured to the body in position extending transversely thereof with its ends projecting laterally outwardly from the opposite sides of the body, said second strap crossing the 41 end portions of the first-named strap at the location of at least one grommet of each row.

2. An article of the class described comprising a vertically elongated, wide body formed of a flexible sheet material and including a front surface and a back surface; a neck strap including parallel, vertically extending end portions secured over their full lengths in face-to-face contact with said back surface, said neck strap including an intermediate portion disposed beyond the upper end of the body; a waistband including an intermediate portion secured in face-to-face contact with said back surface at a location intermediate the ends of the body over substantially the full width of the body, said waistband including end portions projecting laterally in opposite directions beyond the respective, opposite sides of the body, said intermediate portion of the waistband crossing the lower ends of said end portions of the neck strap perpendicularly thereto at locations spaced laterally inwardly from the respective sides of the body, so as to cooperate with the neck strap in providing a reinforcing webbing for the body; tubular fasteners extending through the body, said intermediate portion of the waistband, and said end portions of the neck strap, at the points of intersection of the waistband and neck strap, each of said fasteners including end flanges clampably engaging the body, waistband, and neck strap therebetween; and an upwardly opening container formed with a back wall overlying the front surface of the body, said container being spaced inwardly from the ends and sides of the body and including, at the upper end of the back wall thereof, a pair of suspension hooks removably engageable in the fasteners, whereby the weight of the container and its contents will be assumed wholly by the neck strap and waistband.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 433,717 Brucks Aug. 5, 1890 563,644 Birney July 7, 1896 1,478,497 Welch Dec. 25, 1923 1,736,131 Reece et al Nov. 19, 1929 2,451,282 Feibel Oct. 12, 1948 2,557,556 Morris June 19, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 138,663 Great Britain Feb. 19, 1920 

